Tuesday, November 09, 2010

Question About Canada

A priest friend of mine posted the following question on Facebook along w/ the following article.

"King's University College must be one of those fake-Catholic places.

Does anyone know which colleges/universities in Canada are AUTHENTICALLY Catholic, according to Ex Corde Ecclesiae ?"

Good question. The Cardinal Newman Society has researched Catholic colleges. They do have 1 college from Canada on their list, Redeemer Pacific College in Langley, British Columbia, Canada. Is that the only 1? Given what I know about the CCCB & the condition of the Catholic Church up there, I suspect it is.

By Patrick B. CraineLONDON, Ontario, November 8, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A leading American advocate for same-sex “marriage” and homosexual adoption last month called on a gathering at a Catholic university in Ontario to “build the bridges of inclusion” for homosexuals within the Church, making it clear that the Church’s teachings are themselves an affront to this “inclusion.”“The somewhat charitable act of simply reminding gay and lesbian people that they are children of God is not the same as working to achieve justice and inclusion for them,” said Jody Huckaby, executive director of PFLAG (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), in an address October 21 at King’s University-College, a Catholic institution based at the University of Western in London. “As children of God, they and we all deserve better.”Huckaby, who was raised Catholic and attended Catholic colleges, appealed to the Church's insistence on the dignity of every person and the duty to serve the disadvantaged. He called for the Church to make the fight for homosexual rights a key component of its social justice work, on the same level as the fight against racism, sexism, and poverty.PFLAG is an international homosexualist advocacy group, with over 500 chapters in a dozen countries, that serves as a leading proponent of same-sex “marriage” and homosexual adoption. It also opposes abstinence-only education. In his role with PFLAG, Huckaby has been a vocal opponent of the Church and has condemned Pope Benedict XVI as “vilifying GLBT people.”In his talk at King’s, Huckaby quoted the Church’s teachings on homosexuality extensively, particularly the Catechism of the Catholic Church and various letters from Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) while he was head of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.Discussing the Church’s call for homosexuals to practice chastity, Huckaby said that while the Church prohibits unjust discrimination, “the bottom line remains that for gay and lesbian people the only way to live in grace within the Catholic Church is to live celibately and with this as their cross to bear.”“In fact, for those who choose not to be celibate, they are sinful and somehow playing a role in the discrimination that they receive,” he continued. “Almost to the point that it seems that they might deserve what happens."After reading one section of the catechism he stated, "So this time around, we were taught that gay and lesbian people are intrinsically disordered, and that their actions - which one may argue, in this case, are indivisible from the person - are not to be approved.""All of the credible research indicates that being gay is not a choice, nor can one successfully change his or her sexual orientation from gay to straight,” said Huckaby. “Therefore, no one should be made to feel that they have been forsaken by God because of one part of who they are.”He condemned the Church's vocal stand against "the battle for marriage equality," citing various letters and campaigns from the U.S. Bishops’ Conference and various U.S. dioceses. Further, he praised certain groups that have already been "building bridges of inclusion" within the Church, in his view, such as Dignity, the New Ways Ministry, and the newly-formed Catholics for Equality.Huckaby was introduced by Fr. Michael Bechard, the college’s chaplain. King’s principal, Dr. David Sylvester, defended the address when questioned by LifeSiteNews early last month.Critics, however, argued that the college was giving in to “false compassion.” Regina Griggs, executive director of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays (PFOX), warned that PFLAG is not concerned with “acceptance” so much as “get[ting] the Church to approve same-sex relationships within the Church.”“We should focus on providing support for these people, letting them know that God loves them, and we their families unconditionally love them,” she said. “Perhaps offer hope rather than attempting to subvert the Church, science, medicine.”Contact Information: Most Rev. Ronald P. Fabbro, C.S.B. Diocese of London 1070 Waterloo Street London, Ontario, N6A 3Y2 Phone: 519-433-0658 E-mail: Complete the form here.See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:Ontario Catholic College Accused of “False Compassion” in Hosting Homosexual Activist

TH2, "pretty low" was my being charitable. Based on how little I know about the "Catholic" college situation up there I figured I'd err on the side of charity.

For what it is worth, there are 2 "Catholic" colleges in DBQ. & based on what I see as well as what I hear from a friend who works there, mine is the more "Catholic" of the 2. But that isn't saying much. We have 1 group that is for education majors called Students for Inclusive Education. GLBT group, a group that promotes UNICEF (although I will grant they may be ignorant of the fact UNICEF supports abortion & no longer gets support from the Vatican). I can go on & on. 1 OF TThe few positives, a FOCUS group, a healthy Pro-life group, & regularly scheduled Eucharistic adoration.

Patrick is going to 1 of the few really Catholic schools in the USA.

PS Not only am I an employee, I am an alumni of the college I work at, which makes me doubly unhappy.

The college I'm attending is a great example for "Catholic" schools to emulate. In the 1980s Benedictine College regularly made Playboy's list of party colleges (or so I've been told.) FOCUS was founded here in the 90s and the school has greatly improved since then. We still have a few habitless hussies hanging around, but they're a dying breed. I'm proud to be a BC student and I hope that more Catholic colleges will follow Benedictine's return to faithfulness.

Patrick, You have every right to be proud of your school. As you can see, I wish I could say the same about mine.

I am praying the positives will bear a lot more fruit than just the "Catholic Identity" that they were intended to do as PR. But, until things change in the administration & Regents, the changes will be mostly with the individual students being reached by FOCUS. Since we are a "diocesan" college it will take a stronger push from the Archbishop as well.

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About Me

Sono Italiano-americano. I am a member of St Joseph the Worker Roman Catholic Church. I am an advisor to Alpha Phi Omega & College Republicans at Loras College. I am a member of the Dubuque Co. Republican Central Committee. I have been involved in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal Movement since 1974. For me the overriding issue of the day is defending the preborn & upholding their right to life. If we don't value life before birth, we devalue it after birth. Life is a gift from God. This is why I am a supporter of the work that Dubuque County Right to Life does in my area. & that is why I am politically active. Our nation's laws need to be changed to protect all from conception to natural death.